5 NFL Teams That Are Going To Lose This Week

Sometimes it’s hard to determine which teams are going to win and which are going to lose, especially early in the season. However, it’s Week 15 in the NFL which just makes this list all the easier.

The following is a list of five teams that I think will definitely lose in Week 15. All of them have losing records, but that is not the whole reason why I believe they will lose. Most of them have losing away records and are playing on the road against superior opponents while others are playing at home and haven’t proven that they can consistently win in their home stadium.

One team that is known for losing is the Cleveland Browns. They will play the Chicago Bears at home in Cleveland on Sunday, but have a losing record at home. Will the Browns lose again or is it more of a toss-up since the Bears have a losing record on the road? The Pittsburgh Steelers have been up and down all season, but the fact that they are playing the AFC North-leading Cincinnati Bengals could mean another loss. The Bengals are on a three-game winning streak, beating the Indianapolis Colts just this past week. The Steelers have proven they cannot consistently win at home while the Bengals have proven they can beat the Steelers even on a big stage. The Bengals already beat them once this season in a Monday Night Football game, and this Sunday they will meet in Pittsburgh for a Sunday Night Football game. Is it too close to call or will the Bengals beat them again? It can be hard to tell in a rivalry like that.

The playoff picture isn’t completely clear yet, though the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos have already clinched playoff berths, and the Colts have already clinched their division. It will unfold more these last few weeks of the season with the Bengals and the New England Patriots likely to win their divisions in the AFC while the NFC divisions are still too close to call.

The teams listed below are the most likely to lose in Week 15, mostly because they are playing some of the teams I mentioned above.

5. Pittsburgh Steelers

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The Steelers will face the Bengals in Pittsburgh on Sunday night. Once again, the two teams will be playing on a big stage. The Bengals beat the Steelers 20-10 in a Monday Night Football game in Cincinnati way back in Week 2, and now they will face off in a Sunday Night Football game. The Bengals are currently 9-4 and on a three-game winning streak with their last win coming against the Colts. The Steelers are 5-8 and lost at home last week to the Miami Dolphins. Despite the game being in Pittsburgh, I believe the Steelers will lose since they are playing one of the better teams in the NFL on the big stage and have not proven that they can win consistently at home.

4. Minnesota Vikings

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The Minnesota Vikings will be playing the Philadelphia Eagles at home in Minneapolis this week. Quarterback Nick Foles has been impressive since taking over as the Eagles’ quarterback, leading them to their current five-game winning streak. The Eagles are the hottest team in the NFL right now. They also have a 5-1 record on the road while the Vikings have not proven that they can win at home on a regular basis. The Vikings are 3-3 at home this season and are not very likely to pull out a win over the hottest team in the NFL.

3. San Diego Chargers

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The San Diego Chargers square off against the Broncos on Thursday night in Denver. The Broncos are favored by 10 points and are undefeated at home this season. They have already clinched a playoff berth, but that shouldn’t slow them down since they want to finish their season strong. The Peyton Manning-led Broncos are tough to beat anyway, only losing twice this season with both losses coming on the road to the Patriots and the Colts. I don’t see the Chargers having much of a chance to win this week.

2. Houston Texans

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The Houston Texans will meet the Colts in Indianapolis on Sunday. The 2-11 Texans are on an 11-game losing streak, which led to the recent firing of coach Gary Kubiak. They have also never won in Indianapolis. The Colts don’t seem to be playing their best right now after losing by two touchdowns at Cincinnati last week, but they have always had success against the Texans. The best chance the Texans have of winning another game this season is against the Tennessee Titans in the last week of the regular season. They are not likely to beat the Colts this week and very unlikely to beat the Broncos next week.

1. New York Jets

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The New York Jets are headed to Charlotte this week to take on the Carolina Panthers. The Jets have been up and down this season, led by their struggling quarterback Geno Smith. Carolina is an 11-point favorite in this game and is 5-1 at home this season. They went on an eight-game winning streak before losing to the New Orleans Saints on the road last week. Carolina quarterback Cam Newton just keeps getting better as Smith continues to struggle. The Jets don’t stand much of a chance beating the Panthers in Charlotte, even if Smith has a good game. This is a Jets team that lost to the Bengals 49-9 in Cincinnati earlier this season.